BC Hockey announced the head coaches for the Okanagan Mainline Amateur Hockey Association (OMAHA) Central and North Zone Midget Teams.

The coaches are:

Midget North Zone Tier 1

Head Coach

Jared Barendregt

Vernon

Midget Central Zone Tier 1

Head Coach

Devon Sandvold

Kelowna

Barendreg, from Vernon, will be the head coach for the Midget Zone Tier 1 team. He has been involved with the Greater Vernon Minor Hockey Association (MHA) since 2014 and was the head coach for the Greater Vernon Midget Tier 2 team last season. Previously he served as manager of the Midget Tier 2 team in 2015-2016 and was an assistant coach with the Greater Vernon Midget Tier 1 team in 2014-2015. As a player, Barendreg spent three (3) seasons with the Sexsmith Vipers of the North West Junior Hockey League (NWJHL) in Alberta following his minor hockey with Greater Vernon.

Sandvold is originally from Saskatchewan but has spent the past 10 years in Kelowna and involved with Kelowna MHA. He was an assistant coach with the Okanagan Rockets in the BC Major Midget League (MML) last season. He has coached Kelowna MHA teams to BC Hockey Championships in 2007-2008 (Midget Tier 2) and 2005-2006 (Bantam Tier 1), also winning the Western Canadian Bantam Championship that year.

The OMAHA South Zone coaching staff was announced last week and the Thompson Midget Tier 1 Zone team head coach will be announced next week.

The program was developed to allow players to play at the highest level and allows districts to provide regional teams and pull from a greater draw zone.